Low-RFI Radio Astronomical Signal Processing for High-Speed Transient Analyses

用于高速瞬态分析的低 RFI 射电天文信号处理

• 批准号: 499706-2016
• 负责人: Vanderlinde, Keith
• 金额: $ 10.93万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Collaborative Research and Development Grants
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=618913
• 关键词: Low; RFI; Radio; Astronomical; Signal

We propose here to develop critical, RFI-quiet technology, suitable for processing radio astronomical signals,to allow us to search the sky in real time for easily-RFI-confused rapid transient events known as Fast RadioBursts (FRBs), ultimately to localize their positions with revolutionary precision. These events have receivedsubstantial scientific interest of late, and a precise localization will help reveal their nature by pinpointing theirenvironment: supernova remnant vs galactic centre vs other proposed locations.Canada a long history of excellence in radio astronomy, and in recent years the field has been experiencing arenaissance alongside digitial technologies. Rather than using mirrors and lenses, modern radio telescopesmanipulate and process light digitally to form images, leveraging the huge computational power now available.Unfortunately, the equipment which provides the computational heft demanded in this new paradigm alsogenerates large quantities of both waste heat and spurious radio emission known as Radio FrequencyInterference (RFI). These concerns, along with the increasing electrical demands of operation, hamstring theability of remote radio observatories to leverage these new technologies.Incorporation of industry-driven heterogenous processing elements such as Graphical Processing Units (GPUs)can dramatically lower the cost of computation, and AMD is a world-leading manufacturer of GraphicsProcessing Units (GPUs), which are near-ideally suited to the task. Liquid cooling of microprocessorsmeanwhile has begun to find a home in data processing centres and PCs worldwide, and CoolIT Systems is aleader in the development of large-scale microprocessor liquid cooling. By developing a unified system basedon these technologies and modern processing algorithms, we will build inroads for Canadian companies inradio astronomy, and will be well positioned to tackle the question of FRBs.

我们建议在这里开发关键的，射频干扰安静的技术，适合于处理射电天文信号，使我们能够搜索天空中的真实的时间容易混淆的快速瞬变事件，称为快速射电暴（FRB），最终以革命性的精度定位他们的位置。这些事件最近引起了大量的科学兴趣，精确的定位将有助于通过精确定位它们的位置来揭示它们的性质：超新星遗迹与银河系中心与其他拟议的位置。加拿大在射电天文学方面有着悠久的卓越历史，近年来该领域一直在经历数字技术的复兴。现代射电望远镜不再使用镜子和透镜，而是利用现有的巨大计算能力，以数字方式操纵和处理光线来形成图像。不幸的是，提供这种新范式所需的计算量的设备也会产生大量的废热和被称为射频干扰（RFI）的杂散无线电发射。沿着这些问题，以及日益增长的电力需求，限制了远程无线电观测站利用这些新技术的能力。采用图形处理单元（GPU）等行业驱动的异构处理元件可以显著降低计算成本，而AMD是世界领先的图形处理单元（GPU）制造商，这些GPU非常适合这项任务。与此同时，微处理器的液体冷却已经开始在全球的数据处理中心和个人电脑中找到一席之地，CoolIT Systems是大规模微处理器液体冷却开发的领导者。通过开发一个基于这些技术和现代处理算法的统一系统，我们将为加拿大公司在射电天文学方面建立进展，并将很好地解决FRB问题。